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For those of you who care about restaurants and chefs (and I mean really care about restaurants and chefs), one of the most maddening and mysterious stories of the past year has been the on-again/off-again promise of Speck Food + Wine–the never-opened (but widely theorized about) modern culinary wonderland by chef Shola Olunloyo. The man had done private, half-secret dinners that had become legendary among Philly’s swells, but never had a restaurant for the masses.

That was supposed to change with the opening of Speck which, itself, was supposed to be the culinary centerpiece of the Piazza at Schmidts in Northern Liberties. But then…

Plans took shape in the spring of 2010. Presided­ over by Shola Olunloyo, the city’s most mystifying chef, the bistro was supposed to be the fine-dining showpiece of Bart Blatstein’s Piazza at Schmidts in Northern Liberties. Then, in March of this year, Blatstein locked Olunloyo out, effectively closing Speck before it even opened.

The million-dollar fiasco seems like a simple tale of a virtuous artist, an avaricious businessman and their inability to compromise. We all know how that story ends.

Someone snapped this photo outside of Speck at some point after the lockout, and it depicts Jose Garces and Piazza developer Bart Blatstein chatting out in front of the restaurant. Could the Iron Chef be considering a go at the Piazza? And will he join the pool club? Blatstein’s camp swears the two have no plans to do business together.

We’ve been telling you for what seems like years about Speck, Shola Olunloyo’s long-delayed eatery that was to bring sophisticated eating to Bart Blatstein’s Piazza, more known for P.Y.T.’s beloved burgers, booze-spiked milkshakes, and inflatable pools stocked with girls in bikinis than the level of culinary prowess that the Studiokitchen genius would bring to the table. But now, it seems that the Blatstein-Olunloyo partnership is no more, with the landlord locking the chef out of the restaurant, which was – in theory – finally set to open. According to a trusted source, the lockout occurred last week. The source – who personally knows both men well enough to know firsthand that Olunloyo is bristly (and that’s putting it nicely) and that Blatstein does not put up with any B.S. – isn’t privy to the exact nature of the dispute, but observes: “Their relationship has gone south now that they have this beautiful $1 million restaurant that Shola has been locked out of… which kinda sucks.”

Neither Blatstein nor Olunloyo could immediately be reached for comment.

UPDATE:

Since posting this earlier this afternoon, the lines are being drawn pretty clearly in the sand. I heard from someone in Olunloyo’s camp, who said that Blatstein wanted the chef to sign an agreement entitling the developer to a part of any books, restaurants, or other future projects that he might pursue. That person added that Olunloyo said last Friday that the project is officially over, and that he paid employees out of his own pocket for lost wages. Oh, and they also mentioned, “Bart Blatstein is an asshole. He held the restaurant completely hostage.”

Nobody at Blatstein HQ wants to speak for attribution. But one person close to the deal – or, rather, non-deal – confirms that there was an agreement similar to this that Olunloyo refused to sign. Their explanation: “If Shola decided he wanted to move to California two months from now, what recourse would there be? Shola has no assets.” That source promised that Speck would open with another chef (maybe Jose Garces?!), and pointed out that Bart has “opened ten restaurants without any drama. How many has Shola opened successfully? Zero, and that’s with drama.” Oh, and they also mentioned, “Some people get all wrapped up in Shola and drink his Kool-Aid like he’s Jim Jones. I think he’s nuts.”

1200 Bank, the upscale billiards spot hoping to open at 12th and Chestnut is going through the approval process. The active Facebook page notes opposition from neighbors and several upcoming public meetings. [Facebookvia The Insider]

Speck Food + Wine has been delayed 6-weeks. Diners with reservations to the Studiokitchen counter received an email Monday and the promise of a gratis dinner. [The Insider]

The Bottle Shop on East Passyunk will be opening on Saturday, October 16th. [Meal Ticket]

Nina’s Trattoria softly opened this past weekend. The Italian Market BYOB will be fully open this Friday. [Meal Ticket]